Navantia is pursuing a plug-and-play point-defense system designed to make ship protection more modular and quicker to deploy on in-service naval vessels.
Point-defense systems serve as a last line of protection against short-range threats that have penetrated a ship’s outer defensive layers. They typically employ missiles or cannons guided by radars that automatically track targets.
A prototype is now being produced at the company’s facilities in Puerto Real, intended to enhance system performance while improving safety and maintenance efficiency.
It features a self-supporting structure that allows for integration into storage and arsenal spaces, cutting overall deployment times compared to traditional point-defense solutions.
Navantia is positioning the system as a cost-conscious and flexible option for naval protection, emphasizing its potential for wider operational use.
The Spanish firm worked on initial concepts of the module with Northern Ireland at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (CFA).
New Methods for Complex Shapes
To build the system, Navantia leverages new manufacturing techniques to produce complex shapes that would be difficult to achieve through conventional methods.
The design relies on advanced polymers that allow greater flexibility and weight reduction, with the module reportedly around 40 percent lighter than comparable systems.
The prototype is also said to be the first created using large-format 3D printers at CFA facilities, marking an important milestone for both Navantia and Spain’s broader defense manufacturing sector.
